Bournemouth Airport

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are plans to upgrade the main road serving Bournemouth International Airport in light of the planned expansion of the airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Manchester Airports Ltd., the owner of Bournemouth International Airport, has recently been granted planning permission to redevelop the existing terminal in order to cater for the predicted increase in passenger throughput from 917,000 passengers per annum in 2005-06 to 4.5 million by 2030. The approval was conditional upon them undertaking improvements to junctions on the existing network in the immediate vicinity of the airport and funding better public transport links to Bournemouth. It did not require the construction of a link to the A338 Bournemouth Spur road.
	The draft Master Plan for Bournemouth Airport confirms that, based on current transport growth trends, a new road link from the A338 is not necessary for the airport to achieve its planned growth.
	Furthermore, the South West region has not identified such a link as a regional priority within its regional funding allocation advice to Government, and no Major Scheme bid has yet been received by the Department for Transport.

Fuels: Prices

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information she holds on the percentage change in the pump price of  (a) petrol and  (b) diesel in each (i) EU and (ii) G8 country between January 2005 and April 2008; and what the average price change has been.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 24 June 2008
	The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform publish data on EU pump prices in their Quarterly Energy Prices publication available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/statistics/publications/prices/index.html
	Table 1 as follows illustrates the EU pump prices in each individual country between January 2005 and April 2008. These numbers are in nominal terms and during this time the €/£ exchange rate changed from €1.43/£1 to €1.26/£1.
	The Department for Transport does not hold such information for G8 member countries.
	
		
			  Table 1: Fuel prices in EU member states (pence per litre) 
			   Petrol pump prices  Diesel pump prices 
			   January 2005  April 2008  Percentage change  January 2005  April 2008  Percentage change 
			 United Kingdom 79.0 107.6 36 84.2 116.6 39 
			 Austria 64.0 98.8 54 58.8 99.7 70 
			 Belgium 75.1 113.6 51 60.0 95.9 60 
			 Denmark 77.2 111.0 44 63.9 105.8 66 
			 Finland 80.4 113.0 41 61.6 100.1 63 
			 France 73.0 110.2 51 64.3 102.8 60 
			 Germany 78.1 112.7 44 68.2 106.5 56 
			 Greece 53.9 89.7 66 54.4 94.5 74 
			 Ireland 66.2 95.0 44 66.7 96.4 44 
			 Italy 76.5 110.2 44 70.6 107.5 52 
			 Luxembourg 63.4 96.3 52 50.9 89.8 76 
			 Netherlands 87.8 124.3 42 63.9 103.7 62 
			 Portugal 70.1 111.7 59 58.6 99.8 70 
			 Spain 59.4 90.3 52 56.8 91.8 62 
			 Sweden 77.6 105.6 36 68.7 109.0 59 
			 Cyprus 53.2 82.2 55 50.7 86.5 71 
			 Czech Republic 56.8 98.6 74 57.2 100.6 76 
			 Estonia 47.4 83.8 77 49.0 91.0 86 
			 Hungary 67.5 94.0 39 66.0 98.7 50 
			 Latvia 50.4 83.0 65 49.4 87.6 77 
			 Lithuania 49.8 84.1 69 50.3 87.9 75 
			 Malta 60.9 87.1 43 58.3 87.6 50 
			 Poland 61.7 100.1 62 58.6 99.0 69 
			 Slovakia 60.2 96.8 61 61.4 102.6 67 
			 Slovenia 57.7 85.4 48 57.4 88.8 55 
			 EU average 65.9 99.4 51 60.4 98.0 62 
			  Note: No data for pump prices in January 2005 were available for Bulgaria and Romania.

Parking: Disabled

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Blue Badge disabled driver badges were issued in  (a) Chorley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the UK in 1987; and what percentages occurred in such numbers between 1987 and 2007.

Rosie Winterton: Data on Blue Badge (previously Orange Badge) disabled parking permits is only available from 1994/95 onwards. Data is collected at county and unitary authority level only. It is therefore not available for Chorley, only Lancashire as a whole. Data is only available for England and not for the UK.
	The latest available figures, as at 31 March for each year, are as follows: in 1995, 58,040 badges were issued in Lancashire and 1,462,798 in England as a whole. In 2007, 69,306 badges were issued in Lancashire and 2,318,367 in England.
	This shows a 19 per cent. increase in Lancashire and a 58 per cent. increase for England between 1995 and 2007.

Railways: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of  (a) rail and  (b) road are planned to be constructed in (i) Leeds West constituency and (ii) Leeds Metropolitan District in the next 10 years; and in what location in each case.

Tom Harris: Information in regards to rail is a matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. Network Rail has advised that the information requested is not available.
	On roads, there are currently two local major road schemes that are currently under construction within the Leeds Metropolitan district. These schemes are being taken forward by Leeds city council, as local highway authority, with the Department providing funding towards the scheme costs. Both are expected to be completed and opened to traffic later this year. Details are as follows:
	East Leeds Link Road—this scheme is 2.4 miles in length and will connect the Inner Ring Road Stages 6 and 7, at South Accommodation Road, with the M1 at Junction 45.
	Leeds Inner Ring Road Stage 7—this scheme is a 0.8 mile dual-carriageway extension largely on a viaduct from the recently completed Inner Ring Road Stage 6 to the Hunslet Distributor Road.
	The Highways Agency is responsible for trunk roads and motorways. There are currently no Highways Agency roads within the Leeds West constituency. However, the Agency is currently examining the options for capacity and traffic management improvements on the M62 Junction 25-28 and M1 Junction 39-42, of which junctions 27-28 of the M62 and junctions 41-42 falls within the Leeds Metropolitan district area.
	The M62 Junction 27-28 is approximately 3.29 miles and the M1 Junction 41-42 is 1.52 miles in length. It is not possible to quote lengths of additional lane planned to be constructed, because options are still being examined and no specific scheme proposal has yet been approved.
	In addition, there could be other schemes that are either underway or planned which will be funded by private developers with the two locations.
	We expect to seek updated advice from regions on their transport priorities later in the summer as part of the second round of the regional funding allocations process. This will provide the opportunity for Leeds city council to inform the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board of any future proposals for local major road and public transport schemes.

Merlin Helicopters

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the Merlin helicopters acquired from Denmark carry the TCAS collision avoidance system and weather radar; and what maintenance schedule has been established for these systems;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the load capacity of the flooring in the Merlin helicopters acquired from Denmark; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: All six of the helicopters acquired from Denmark, now designated as Merlin MK3a, were delivered fitted with a Terrain collision Avoidance system (TCAS) and whether radar system. These systems are not fitted to our other Merlin MK3 aircraft and therefore no long-term support is planned. We do, however, intend to evaluate the performance of the systems to inform future requirements which, if funded, would include appropriate long-term support arrangements.
	The floor of the mK3a has a slightly different construction to our existing MK3 aircraft, but the uniformly distributed load capacity is the same. The Mk3 is capable of carrying 24 troops with their equipment and the full range of equipment required to be carried by this aircraft on operations.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many  (a) successful applicants and  (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: My Department does not hold this information centrally and it is, therefore, not possible to collate this without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Criminal Records Bureau checks are completed for certain posts dependant on location and role.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has only made bonus payments in the last two financial years.
	In 2006-07, three members of staff received bonuses, representing five per cent of the workforce. All of the bonuses together came to £862.30 before tax, and the largest single payment was £362.30.
	In 2007-08, four members of staff received bonuses, representing seven per cent. of the workforce. All of the bonuses together came to £1,250.00 before tax, and the largest single payment was £350.00

Advertising: Broadcasting

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many minutes of advertising were broadcast per hour of commercial television programming in each year since 1979;
	(2)  how many minutes of advertising were broadcast per hour of children's television programming in  (a) the last period for which figures are available and  (b) each year since 1979.

Andy Burnham: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	EU Directives currently impose a maximum limit of 12 minutes of advertising per hour on television. This is also subject to an EU maximum average of nine minutes per hour. Within this European framework, the rules set by Ofcom impose further limits on public service channels which are subject to an overall maximum average of seven minutes per hour, and a specific average of eight minutes per hour between 6pm and 11pm. These restrictions are set out in Ofcom's rules on the amount and distribution of advertising. The limits do not include the amount of time that channels may use for promoting their programmes. Nor do they include 'teleshopping windows', which involve direct offers to viewers to purchase goods and services, for example by placing an order by telephone or e-mail. Ofcom requires broadcasters to comply with these rules, and receives independently-sourced data on many channels, including the public service channels.
	Under the new Audio Visual Media Services Directive, the European framework for advertising regulation has been revised and Ofcom recently consulted on whether to make changes to the UK rules. Ofcom aim to announce its decision later this year.

Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department does not hold management information on the procurement of timber and timber products. However it is the Department's policy to procure where possible verifiable legal timber.

Carers' Allowances: Cleethorpes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Cleethorpes constituency are in receipt of carer's allowance.

Anne McGuire: As at November 2007, 870 people in Cleethorpes constituency were in receipt of carer's allowance.

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the 2008-09 financial year.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
	Since the introduction of its resource management system in 2005, the Department does not routinely publish its chart of accounts as the information is managed and controlled within the system.
	The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the department's structure for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure, or that for future years. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use.

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of his Department's employees are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The following table sets out the number and proportion of male, female, ethnic minority and disabled staff employed by Department for Work and Pensions at March 2008. We are unable to provide the information on non-heterosexual staff as the Department only started monitoring this equality strand in April 2008 and we have not yet built up any meaningful data.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Male 35,423 31.2 
			 Female 77,971 68.8 
			 Ethnic minority 9,840 10.1 
			 Disabled 5,982 5.5 
			 Not heterosexual (1)— (1)— 
			 (1) Not known 
		
	
	Declaration of ethnicity and disabled status is voluntary. The proportions given are based on those individuals who have declared their status.

Sick Leave: Mentally Ill

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people took leave from work due to mental illness in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) sex and  (b) type of illness.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	Information is not collected centrally about diagnoses for any condition in primary care, so reliable data is not available about the number of people who took leave from work due to mental illness.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: My Department has adopted a Welsh language scheme approved by the Welsh Language Board on 13 July 2004 and is committed to treating the Welsh and English languages on a basis of equality when providing a service to the public in Wales. The scheme covers both the main departmental businesses and all sponsored bodies that do not have separate schemes of their own. The main DWP Scheme is currently being formally reviewed at the request of the Welsh Language Board.
	My officials regularly and continuously monitor the use made of the Welsh language services we provide for the public in Wales. They also ensure that suitable Welsh language provision is built in to ail new services and benefits being developed by the Department. In addition, each year officials in the main customer-facing businesses in Wales carry out voluntary staff audits to confirm that there are sufficient members of staff who are able to conduct business in Welsh.
	The Welsh Language Board is satisfied that my Department is fully meeting the commitments set out in the scheme.

Post Offices: Closures

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the estimated final number of post office closures.

Patrick McFadden: Government funding will support strategic changes to the post office network with up to 2,500 compensated closures nationally within a framework of minimum access criteria. These closures are being offset by the introduction of 500 new outreach services.

Racially Aggravated Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances a person may be charged with a racially aggravated offence against a person of the same ethnicity.

Vernon Coaker: The Association of Chief Police Officers' definition of hate crime is very broad and inclusive as follows:
	A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person.
	It is therefore possible that the ethnicity of the offender could be the same as the victim's, for example, if a person in a mixed-race relationship was attacked by someone of the same ethnicity who disagreed with that type of relationship.

Sexual Offences

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2008, Off icial Report, columns 1519-20W, on sexual offences, whether there is a requirement for a person convicted of a sexual offence overseas, who would be included on the Sex Offender Register if the offence had been committed in the UK, to declare the conviction when seeking to visit or remain in the UK.

Vernon Coaker: A person convicted of a sexual offence overseas is not generally required to declare the conviction when seeking to visit or remain in the UK. However, if the person needs a visa to enter the UK, he is required to disclose on his visa application form whether he has ever been convicted of any criminal offence.
	We are aware that obtaining such information in relation to sex offenders is vital in ensuring that notification orders are used for the purposes for which they were intended, and that any other measures appropriate to protect the public can be taken. To try and ensure this we are actively engaged with a number of countries to try and develop ways of obtaining information on their convicted sex offenders and have already established such an arrangement with the Republic of Ireland.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of staff in her Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government made bonus payments to 495 staff under the terms of pay settlements for 2007. This represents 22 per cent, of the total work force as at 1 April 2007. This does not include staff in Government offices. For staff below the senior civil service, bonuses are paid to staff who exceed against their objectives for the year. For the senior civil service, bonuses are non-consolidated, non-pensionable cash payments that reward excellent performance during the year and are based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. The total amount paid as bonus payments under these arrangements in 2007 was £1,018,350 and the largest single payment was £16,270. The Department has a special bonus scheme to reward exceptional performance over a limited period, in particularly, demanding tasks or situations. The maximum bonus under these arrangements is £600 but records are not available to show the number of payments made under this scheme in 2007-08. The Department has not yet reached agreement on the level and award of bonus payments for 2008.
	For the period before that, I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith) on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1523W, and on 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 456W.
	For the total amount of bonuses paid in the last five years, I also refer the hon. Member to my replies to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 538W, and 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 543 W.

Strip Clubs: Licensing

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to tackle the concerns of local authorities that their licensing powers for lap dancing clubs have been restricted by the Licensing Act 2003.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are consulting with local authorities on any concerns they have which they feel cannot be addressed by existing controls, including the Licensing Act 2003 and whether we need to do more to protect local communities. We do recognise that people do not necessarily want lap-dancing establishments in their neighbourhoods and we want to ensure local authorities have the powers to reflect the views of local people when considering applications. We will therefore consider whether or not lap-dancing clubs should fall under the category of Sex Encounter Establishments under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and legislate if this is necessary.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mentally Ill

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to accident and emergency units in England for mental health related issues in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not available in the requested format because patients are not admitted to accident and emergency units (A and E). Patients may be admitted to hospital as emergency admissions via A and E and through other routes.
	Information is available on the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) for patients with a mental illness and who were treated under a consultant from a mental health or learning disability speciality, following emergency admission to hospital between 2002-03 and 2006-07, and this data is shown in the following table.
	The data includes patient episode numbers where patients with a mental illness were seen in A and E before admittance to hospital as an inpatient. Some patients may have completed more than one treatment episode during the course of a year so patient episode numbers are not a reliable indicator of patients numbers. The data excludes/ include those who attended A and E but were not subsequently admitted to hospital.
	
		
			  FAEs for patients with a mental illness who were treated under a consultant from a mental health or learning disability speciality, following emergency admittance to hospital via A and E or other routes: total admission episodes, male and female, all ages in the national health service in England between 2002-03 and 2006-07 
			   Emergency admittance via A and E services of health care provider  Emergency admittance via other means including patients referred via the A and E department of another health care provider  Total 
			 2002-03 17,360 73,335 90,695 
			 2003-04 17,883 69,076 86,959 
			 2004-05 16,374 68,786 85,160 
			 2005-06 13,828 65,199 79,027 
			 2006-07 12,804 61,027 73,831 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care.

Health Centres: Pharmacy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mapping of the health services was conducted, and in particular the locations of pharmacies, in areas that have been identified as under-doctored or with health inequality before the decision was taken to introduce polyclinics.

Ben Bradshaw: None. It is primary care trusts who will determine where services are located depending on local needs and circumstances and following local consultation. The Department does not have a polyclinic policy. We are asking the local national health service to develop new general practitioner (GP)-led health centres for local communities that will improve local services and access for patients.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the data controller will be in respect of information recorded in a patient's  (a) summary and  (b) detailed care record in cases where the record contains information provided separately by the patient to distinct legal entities which have different independent data controllers.

Ben Bradshaw: Data Controller responsibilities are a matter of fact determined in any particular case in accordance with the relevant definition contained in the Data Protection Act 1998.
	The data controller for the summary care record is currently the Secretary of State. With regard to detailed care records, the Secretary of State is a currently a data controller records in common with national health service organisations, which remain data controllers for information they hold about the patients for whom they provide care.

Mental Health Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much expenditure there was on Tier 4 and Tier 5 services for people with personality disorders in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement on the implementation of Policy Implementation Guidance for the Development of Services for People with Personality Disorder, NIMHE 2003.

Ivan Lewis: The overall expenditure by the national health service on tier 4 personality disorder services in 2005-06, which is the most recent data available, was approximately £9.6 million. Information is not available on expenditure by the independent sector.
	In 2006-07, £8.45 million went into primary care trust (PCT) baselines in respect of tier 4 personality disorder services and those funds were fully spent on the services involved through service level agreements with commissioners.
	From 2007-08 (when baseline allocations were £9.14 million), many PCTs have elected to commission services for people with severe personality disorders on a cost-per-case basis (i.e. individual placements). There is therefore no information on the actual level of expenditure.
	Over the 2005-08 period, tier 5 NHS medium secure and community forensic services received £25.31 million. During this period, capital spending was £23.56 million. This revenue was devolved to local PCT and specialised commissioners for 2008-09.
	Following commitments in the 1997 election manifesto, the Government have implemented a range of initiatives to improve services to those with a personality disorder. Two distinct but linked programmes have resulted from new investment; Managing Dangerous Offenders with a severe Personality Disorder and Personality Disorder - No Longer a Diagnosis of Exclusion.
	These offer new interventions for the spectrum of patients in the population who pose a risk of harm either to themselves or to others as a result of their personality disorder. The effectiveness of our initiatives to improving services for the often hidden and excluded members of every local community will be significantly improved by the growing number of new and often innovative services for those with a personality disorder. The programmes also demonstrate a commitment to greater coherence and collaborative working between both Government agencies and public and independent services in the field.

Colombia: Capital Punishment

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the number of civilians extra-judicially executed by Colombian security forces in the last 12 months.

Kim Howells: holding answer 20 June 2008
	 The annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Colombia for 2008 (A/HRC/39) details the persistence of extrajudicial executions attributed to members of the Colombian security forces, especially by members of the army. It also notes the Colombian Government's attempts to tackle this by strengthening control mechanisms, the political will of senior personnel to adopt measures to prevent, investigate and punish those responsible and new directives issued by the Colombian Ministry of Defence.
	I have outlined the Government's strong concern about extrajudicial killings to the Colombian Minister of Defence on a number of occasions and raised the subject with the Colombian President at the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit in Lima in May 2008. We are matching this advocacy with practical help. The UK has been very active and influential in promoting human rights training and adherence in the Colombian armed forces and police. Further work in this area, funded by the UK Conflict Prevention Pool, will include helping the Colombian Government to eradicate extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses and, equally importantly, to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to Ethiopia to accept the ruling of the Eritrea-Ethiopian Boundary Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UK's policy towards the Ethiopia-Eritrea border dispute is based on three principles: to avoid any return to war; for the border to be demarcated; and for the Parties to normalise their relations. Ethiopia and Eritrea should agree a way forward to allow demarcation to proceed and for a normalisation process to begin, as set out in the Algiers Agreements of June 2000 and December 2000, signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea.
	We have set out this policy to both Ethiopia and Eritrea, including in November 2007 when my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin and when my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Vadera, and our ambassador in Addis Ababa met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Lord Malloch-Brown, also conveyed these points to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh in November 2007 and to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles in January in Addis Ababa. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials continually reiterate these messages to both the Ethiopian and Eritrean ambassadors to London and to their interlocutors in the Governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea in Addis Ababa and Asmara respectively.
	We will continue to pursue the aforementioned policy with our international partners, including through the UN Security Council (UNSC). In this regard, we fully support UNSC Resolution 1798, adopted unanimously on 30 January and the UNSC's Presidential Statement of 30 April. We expect the parties to implement fully all the provisions of these, including those relating to demarcation of the border. We support all efforts of the UN with the parties, to which UK efforts are closely aligned.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of recent clashes along the Dijibouti-Eritrea border on the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We supported the UN Security Council Presidential Statement of 12 June in condemning Eritrea's incursion and urging both sides to show maximum restraint.
	The clashes along the Djibouti-Eritrea border contribute to the instability in the Horn of Africa sub-region, although we are yet to see any direct effects of these clashes on the Ethiopian-Eritrean border situation.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking with its international partners to ensure that the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea is fully deployed; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) relocated from Eritrea on 19 May due to fuel restrictions placed on UNMEE in Eritrea by the Eritrean government. The UN Security Council (UNSC) had previously re-iterated its condemnation of Eritrean action in a Presidential Statement dated 30 April.
	The future of UNMEE and a UN presence in Ethiopia and Eritrea is next scheduled to be discussed in the UNSC on 23 June.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports the proposal in the UN Secretary General's report to the Security Council (S/2008/226) of a small observer mission to be deployed to the Ethiopia-Eritrea border area to defuse tensions between the armed forces of the two countries.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to parliamentary written question 212773, which lays out the Government's policy towards the Ethiopia-Eritrea border.
	We support all UN efforts to bring a resolution to this dispute. The effectiveness of any small observer mission deployed to the Ethiopia-Eritrean border to defuse tensions between the armed forces of the two countries would depend on the degree of co-operation from both parties.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK supports the proposal of a UN Special Envoy for Ethiopia and Eritrea; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to parliamentary written question 212773, which lays out the UK Government's policy towards the Ethiopia-Eritrea border.
	We support all UN efforts to bring a resolution to this dispute. The effectiveness of a UN Special Envoy for Ethiopia and Eritrea would depend on the degree of co-operation from both parties. The Government of Eritrea has, at times in the past, refused to meet with UN Special Envoys.

Iran: Sanctions

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) the EU,  (b) the US administration and  (c) the UN on proposals to extend sanctions against Iran.

Kim Howells: We are in constant contact with EU and E3+3 colleagues on the Iranian nuclear issue. The Government will continue to work closely with EU partners to pass further measures as soon as possible, including the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1803 in the EU. Discussions are continuing in Brussels and I will inform the House when these have been agreed. We are also discussing with US and EU partners a range of additional sanctions on Iran, including in the oil and gas sector. We will be seeking a new UNSCR in the coming months if Iran does not give a rapid, positive response to the E3+3's generous offer, delivered to Tehran on 14 June by Javier Solana.

Maldives: Elections

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) financial and  (b) technical assistance the Government is giving to support the Presidential elections in the Maldives in October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK is co-financing Commonwealth technical assistance to the Maldivian government to improve the Maldives' electoral legislative framework. Separately, we are funding a Maldivian non-governmental organisation voter education programme, and through the BBC World Service Trust, training for journalists in election reporting. The UK also fully supports the work of the EU electoral expert seconded to the Maldivian Election Commission. Free, fair and credible elections are a crucial element of democratic reform in the Maldives. When my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, met President Gayoom on 11 June, he reiterated the UK's support for the elections and democracy in the Maldives.

Treaty of Lisbon: Referendums

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had with other EU member state governments on the recent Irish referendum.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 24 June 2008
	 My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement to the House on 16 June 2008, Offi cial Report, columns 704-05, on the Irish referendum.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement to the House on 23 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 23-26, following the European Council in Brussels from 19-20 June.

United Arab Emirates: Prisoners

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to secure the release of those arrested in 2008 as a result of United Arab Emirates (UAE) enforcement initiatives; whether the Government have made representations to the UAE government seeking clemency for those imprisoned; and what account is taken of the length of time spent in custody in making such representations.

Kim Howells: holding answer 18 June 2008
	It is a matter for the United Arab Emirates authorities to decide on their policy with respect to the import and possession of drugs. We cannot interfere in the judicial process of another country, just as we would not expect another country to interfere in ours. We cannot get people out of prison or detention, nor can we secure special treatment for them because of their nationality.
	Our primary concern is the welfare of British nationals detained overseas. We will consider approaching the local authorities where a trial does not follow internationally accepted standards of practice, where a British detainee has a justified complaint of ill treatment against the local authorities or where welfare questions, for example dietary and medical issues of a British detainee, are raised with us.
	We can only consider supporting pardon or clemency pleas in three very specific situations: where there are compelling compassionate circumstances, such as where a prisoner or close family member is chronically ill or dying; in cases of minors detained overseas; and, as a last resort, in cases where we have evidence that seems to point to a miscarriage of justice.
	Our commitment to consular confidentiality and the Data Protection Act prevents us from providing specific examples about the cases of individuals.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on bringing pressure to bear on the Zimbabwe government to conduct free and fair elections.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary discussed the elections in Zimbabwe with other Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers at the European Council from 19-20 June. Ministers are in regular contact with EU counterparts to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe and, in particular, the state-sponsored violence and intimidation which have marked the current electoral process.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Government plans to allocate to the Afghanistan reconstruction plan agreed at the Paris conference; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: In recognition of the scale of the development and stabilisation challenges that continue to face Afghanistan, the UK Government will provide over £800 million to Afghanistan in support to the five-year period of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), between 2008-09 and 2012-13. This includes a further £613 million in reconstruction and development assistance in addition to the £500 million we committed at the London Conference in January 2006. This brings the amount pledged or spent by the UK on reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan since 2001 to over £1.65 billion.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on  (a) new capital investment and  (b) refurbishment of departmental property in each of the last 10 years, broken down by project.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development does not have detailed records for the last 10 years, the earliest detailed data we have are for the calendar year 2002.
	Capital investment since 2002, by year and project, was as follows:
	
		
			  Country  Description  Year purchased  Purchase cost (£) 
			 Malawi House purchases 2002 350,000.00 
			 Malawi House purchase 2004 51,724.00 
			 Yemen New embassy in Sanaa 2005 425,000.00 
			 Uganda New Office in Uganda 2007 2,916,003.00 
			 Ethiopia New office building 2007 1,078,125.00 
			 Zambia House purchase 2008 £401,762.00 
			 Yemen House purchase 2008 56,499.00 
		
	
	Refurbishment projects since 2002, by year and project, were as follows:
	
		
			  Country  Description  Year purchased  Cost (£) 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2002 3,004,699.00 
			 India Office refurbishment 2002 24,339.00 
			 South Africa Office refurbishment 2002 2,747.00 
			 Italy—Rome Office refurbishment 2002 5,703.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2002 23,545.00 
			 South Africa Office refurbishment 2003 2,761.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2003 1,509,169.00 
			 Italy—Rome Office refurbishment 2003 20,244.00 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2003 9,433,797.00 
			 India Office refurbishment 2003 4,376.00 
			 Bangladesh Office refurbishment 2004 408,979.56 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2004 264,302.00 
			 Ethiopia Office refurbishment 2004 16,352.00 
			 Barbados Office refurbishment 2004 32,559.00 
			 Yemen Office refurbishment 2004 5,393.00 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2004 3,805,677.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2004 17,694.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2005 414,987.87 
			 Nigeria Office refurbishment 2005 52,164.00 
			 Bangladesh Office refurbishment 2005 26,981.00 
			 Barbados Office refurbishment 2005 15,113.00 
			 Pakistan Office refurbishment 2005 603,224.00 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2005 893,763.00 
			 Dem Rep of Congo Office refurbishment 2005 391,890.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2005 38,206.00 
			 Sudan Office refurbishment 2005 76,028.00 
			 Sierra Leone Office refurbishment 2005 151,327.00 
			 Dem Rep of Congo Office refurbishment 2006 27,616.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2006 3,274.00 
			 Pakistan Office refurbishment 2006 1,188,958.00 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2006 58,774.00 
			 Sierra Leone Office refurbishment 2006 22,219.00 
			 Kosovo Office refurbishment 2006 22,915.00 
			 Afghanistan House refurbishments 2006 151,248.00 
			 Bolivia Office refurbishment 2006 6,211.00 
			 Sudan Office refurbishment 2006 646,499.00 
			 Cambodia Office refurbishment 2006 45,011.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2006 18,206.00 
			 Bangladesh Office refurbishment 2006 58,511.00 
			 Nicaragua Office refurbishment 2006 58,221.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2006 99,211.00 
			 Jamaica Office refurbishment 2006 5,196.00 
			 Rwanda House refurbishments 2006 4,058.00 
			 Sierra Leone Office refurbishment 2007 60,541.00 
			 Afghanistan House refurbishments 2007 323,230.00 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2007 43,497.00 
			 Rwanda House refurbishments 2007 74,319.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2007 70,565.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2007 45,065.00 
			 Zambia Office refurbishment 2007 16,160.00 
			 Cambodia House refurbishments 2007 16,000.00 
			 Nicaragua Office refurbishment 2007 6,342.00 
			 Jamaica Office refurbishment 2007 37,306.00 
			 Ghana Office refurbishment 2007 4,764.00 
			 South Africa Office refurbishment 2007 24,753.00 
			 Ethiopia Office refurbishment 2007 59,396.00 
			 South Africa Office refurbishment 2007 17,483.00 
			 Nepal Office refurbishment 2007 42,513.00 
			 Sudan Office refurbishment 2007 1,385,845.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2007 111,909.00 
			 Nigeria Office refurbishment 2007 4,257.00 
			 Ghana Office refurbishment 2007 5,317.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2008 1,204.00 
			 UK—Abercrombie House Office refurbishment 2008 62,771.00 
			 Indonesia Office refurbishment 2008 3,055.00 
			 Burma Office refurbishment 2008 28,139.00 
			 Sudan Office refurbishment 2008 376,570.00 
			 Malawi House refurbishments 2008 20,390.00 
			 UK—Palace Street Office refurbishment 2008 211,434.00 
			 Cambodia House refurbishments 2008 1,140.00 
			 South Africa Office refurbishment 2008 26,919.00 
			 Nepal Office refurbishment 2008 29,520.00 
			 Dem Rep of Congo Office refurbishment 2008 351,984.00 
			 Zambia House refurbishments 2008 11,879.00

Sesame Tree

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will meet Sesame Tree to discuss their work.

Paul Goggins: I have no current plans to meet with Sesame Tree, the Northern Ireland version of Sesame Street. Culture and community relations are transferred matters and are now the responsibility of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Crimes of Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted of assault in which the victim was  (a) a female partner,  (b) a male partner,  (c) a child and  (d) one of their own children in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the format requested. Northern Ireland conviction data do not include victim information in relation to the commission of an offence therefore it is not possible to determine the number of convictions for assault of a female or male partner or the total number of convictions for assault of a child irrespective of relationship to the offender.
	A wider range of information on the incidence and impact of domestic violence is available from the Northern Ireland Crime Survey at:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/experienee_of_domestic_violence_ findings_from_the_2005_northern_ireland_crime_ survey.pdf
	and from PSNI Statistics at
	http://www.psni.police.uk/2._domestic_incidents_and crimes-5.pdf.
	It is possible to give the number of convictions for those offences, which in their definition, refer to a child or children. These are 'common assault on child or young person' and 'aggravated assault on male child'.
	The data provided in the following table cover the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest available years) and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Number of convictions for assault of a child 2004-06( 1) 
			   Convictions 
			 2004 12 
			 2005 8 
			 2006 7 
			 (1) Data do not include sexual offences against a child or children.

Construction Industry Scheme: Complaints

Brian Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about online payments under the Construction Industry Scheme were received by HM Revenue and Customs between April 2007 and March 2008.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect specific information on complaints about online payments made under the Construction Industry scheme.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how frequently his Department restates the asset values of its building estate.

Angela Eagle: The accounting policy regarding revaluation of building Estate is disclosed in note 1.4 of the Treasury's annual report and accounts 2006-07 (HC 518). Copies of this document can be found at:
	hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/departmental_reports/annual_report07.cfm.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent additional training has been provided to staff in HM Revenue and Customs to assist them in implementing revised data security policies and procedures.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1937-38W, which explained that each HMRC business unit has appointed a data guardian to monitor its data handling and transfer arrangements. Support has already been provided to these data guardians in the form of awareness events, written material and access to HMRC security specialists. HMRC will continue to assess the data guardians' ongoing training requirements.
	HMRC are also currently part way through a programme of mandatory half day data security training and awareness workshops. Current plans envisage every single member of the Department having attended a workshop before the end of June.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Philip Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net change has been in the number of full-time equivalent HM Revenue and Customs posts within each Parliamentary constituency since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings HM Revenue and Customs expects to make from the closure of Chorley HM Revenue and Customs office and the movement of staff; and what the annual running cost was of the HMRC offices in  (a) Chorley,  (b) Bolton,  (c) Southport and  (d) Blackburn in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Most of HMRC's business units, including those with staff currently employed in Chorley, can operate more effectively by co-locating teams in a smaller number of locations, allowing more efficient work processes to be introduced. There will be some specific costs attached to the relocation of staff from one office to another, but the efficiency savings resulting from HMRC's overall restructuring cannot be realistically apportioned to individual offices.
	The fixed accommodation running costs for the offices at Lingmell House Chorley, Stone Cross House Bolton, Dukes House Southport and Chaucer's Walk Blackburn are as follows:
	
		
			  Total cash running costs (net of VAT), 2007-08 
			  Office  £ 
			 Chorley 203,739.32 
			 Bolton 633,835.98 
			 Southport 343,815.60 
			 Blackburn 299,890.68 
		
	
	These costs are made up of the facility price (FP) for the provision (by Mapeley) of the serviced accommodation at these addresses, the business rates, services and the utilities for each year.
	Individual business units are allocated budgets to meet their total costs and overheads for all their staff. The Chorley HMRC office currently houses staff from four different business units and to break down the costs of each business unit to individual office level, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Valuation Office: Digital Mapping

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 8 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1092W, on the Valuation Office: digital mapping, for what reasons the Agency no longer plays an active role in the development of the digital national framework; and when it stopped playing an active role.

Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency ('VOA') switched from an active role in the development of the Digital National Framework ('DNF') to becoming a correspondence member in August 2005. Since that time VOA and Ordnance Survey have developed a closer working relationship, addressing VOA requirements that had previously been fulfilled by attendance at the DNF expert group meetings.

Intelligence Services: Vetting

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2008, on how many occasions in the last 12 months security sections have been notified that the spouse or partner of an officer in the intelligence and security services has been working in the sex industry; on how many such occasions the notification was made  (a) by the officer concerned and  (b) following a formal review; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Information concerning security vetting cases is not held centrally. It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment on individual cases.

Official Secrets Act

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what provisions are in place to deter people who have not signed the Official Secrets Act from reading documents classified only to be read by people who have signed the Act; and what steps may be taken against any such people who do read such documents without authorisation.

Edward Miliband: Government information bearing a classification may only be passed to those individuals who have a need to know and, where necessary, hold the appropriate security clearance.
	While there is no requirement for individuals to sign the Official Secrets Act, the provisions of the Act are drawn to the attention of Crown servants on appointment.
	Under the Act, it is an offence to disclose official information in certain specified categories and, for most of those categories, when the disclosure is damaging. The provisions of the Act apply to Crown servants and government contractors, and to members of the public who have, or have had, official information in their possession.

Academies: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to establish  (a) academies and  (b) trust schools in (i) Chorley and (ii) Lancashire.

Jim Knight: Currently there are no proposals to establish an academy in Chorley. We have agreed with the Lancashire local authority two academy projects in Accrington and Preston, in order to drive up standards in those areas. The establishment of a trust school is a matter for local decision. Three schools in Lancashire have informed the Department of their interest in acquiring trust status and are currently on our Supported Schools Programme to help them to do so. None of these schools are in the Chorley area.

Departmental Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within mainland Britain by representatives of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is as follows:
	( a) The number of domestic flights (one way trips) undertaken by representatives of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in the financial year April 2007 to March 2008 was 1,128. The cost of the flights was £126,460. It is not possible without disproportionate cost to separate the number of flights made by representatives of these two Departments that originally formed the Department for Education and Skills.
	 (b) The Department has no agencies.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the "Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively".

Religion: Education

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what procedures are in place to ensure that private schools offer religious education teaching.

Jim Knight: Independent schools are required to meet standards set out in regulations which cover the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. The relevant parts of this standard require schools to:
	Enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
	Enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and respect the law;
	Encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they can contribute to community life;
	Assist pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures in a way fiat promotes tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions.

Secondary Education: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) pupil to teacher and  (b) pupil to adult ratio at key stage 3 was in secondary schools in (i) Chorley constituency and (ii) Lancashire local education authority area in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	School pupil:teacher ratios in local authority maintained secondary schools are readily available. Figures for Chorley constituency, Lancashire local authority and England for January 2007 are provided in the following.
	
		
			  Pupil:teacher ratios( 1)  in local authority maintained secondary( 2)  schools 2007: 
			   Chorley constituency  Lancashire local authority  England 
			  Secondary
			 2007 16.5 16.0 16.5 
			 (1) The within-school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. (2) Excludes academies.

Teachers

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) newly qualified teachers (NQTs),  (b) mathematics NQTs and  (c) science NQTs were teaching in secondary schools as a proportion of all teachers in each category in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The Information requested is not available in the format requested.

Truancy

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many truancy sweeps were conducted by each local authority in England in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of truancy on standards attained in education; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what guidance his Department has issued to  (a) local education authorities and  (b) the police on the detention of children truanting from school; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Under Section 16 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (as amended), police officers may, if authorised to do so by a chief police officer, take excluded pupils who are in a public place during normal school hours and children who they believe are out of school without lawful authority to a designated place established by the local authority or to the school. This power is often used during a "School Attendance and Exclusions Sweep".
	This Department and the Home Department have issued joint guidance to local authorities and police services on the use of the power to remove pupils from public places and the organisation of exercises using it called "School Attendance and Exclusions Sweeps: Effective Practice and Advice" which explains the law and gives examples of practice that is in use.
	Under Section 444A of the Education Act 1996 (as amended) police officers may issue fixed penalty notices to parents who fail to secure their child's regular attendance, if they have been authorised to do so by the local code of practice on the use of penalty notices.
	Police community support officers may also use the powers to remove pupils from a public place and to issue fixed penalty notices, if they have been designated to do so under the Police Reform Act 2002 by the .chief officer of the force concerned.
	The Department has not collected data on the number of "school attendance and exclusions sweeps" conducted by local authorities since autumn 2006, when we ceased co-ordinating national sweeps-allowing authorities to run sweeps according to local need. I have put the data we collected as part of the rationally co-ordinated exercises in the Library of the House.
	Analyses of national data show that there is a correlation between absence from school and pupils' levels of achievement, with average performance of pupils in schools with lower levels of absence better than pupils in schools with higher levels of absence. Data for 2006-07 showed that in secondary schools with an average of 12 days absence per pupil 36 per cent. of pupils or more obtained five of more GCSEs at grade A* to C including English and maths compared with 91 per cent. of pupils in secondary schools with an average of less than six days absence per pupil In primary schools with an average of more than 12 days absence per pupil 52 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved level 4 or above in English and mathematics compared with 84 per cent. of pupils in schools where the average absence was less than six days per pupil.
	
		
			  Number of school attendance and exclusion sweeps organised by local authorities as part of the nationally co-ordinated exercises 
			   Number of Sweeps 
			  Local Authority  Spring 2003  2003- 4 s chool  y ear  2004-5  school y ear  2005-6  s chool  y ear  Autumn 2006 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 11 6 6 3 
			 Barnet 8 0 13 5 2 
			 Barnsley 24 52 85 37 18 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 7 14 7 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 14 28 42 38 16 
			 Bexley 1 7 29 12 4 
			 Birmingham 10 58 22 30 20 
			 Blackburn 14 10 16 20 7 
			 Blackpool 5 6 9 9 4 
			 Bolton 2 3 4 1 2 
			 Bournemouth 3 4 8 10 7 
			 Bracknell Forest 12 13 9 11 8 
			 Bradford 7 15 14 16 0 
			 Brent 9 0 3 8 3 
			 Brighton and Hove 2 3 2 4 6 
			 Bristol City 38 115 5 6 5 
			 Bromley 4 8 18 28 13 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 6 8 12 10 
			 Bury 10 112 70 46 10 
			 Calderdale 5 20 20 12 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 .20 29 21 5 
			 Camden 3 5 20 17 8 
			 Cheshire 1 5 23 17 10 
			 City of Derby 32 94 74 62 0 
			 City of Nottingham 25 38 32 33 8 
			 City of Westminster 5 8 7 8 3 
			 Cornwall 2 6 9 9 2 
			 Corporation of London 0 3 4 4 0 
			 Coventry 0 27 33 24 0 
			 Croydon 4 4 10 9 2 
			 Cumbria 0 4 8 4 2 
			 Darlington 2 3 4 5 1 
			 Derbyshire 4 29 25 26 0 
			 Devon 0 5 11 12 5 
			 Doncaster 4 11 24 0 11 
			 Dorset 3 0 5 4 11 
			 Dudley 0 18 7 9 4 
			 Durham 18 42 39 47 21 
			 Ealing 6 15 21 22 10 
			 East Riding 4 10 21 0 0 
			 East Sussex NB UG1 3 6 14 25 25 
			 Enfield 5 8 5 2 5 
			 Essex 6 12 26 29 14 
			 Gateshead 11 24 21 20 14 
			 Gloucestershire 6 10 12 16 8 
			 Greenwich 9 10 15 10 5 
			 Hackney 5 6 20 15 18 
			 Halton 8 4 10 12 9 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 16 18 33 30 14 
			 Hampshire 12 18 8 11 5 
			 Haringey 8 17 16 27 10 
			 Harrow 11 20 19 14 3 
			 Hartlepool 4 9 18 12 9 
			 Havering 3 0 2 6 4 
			 Herefordshire 3 6 2 0 1 
			 Hertfordshire 23 3 17 13 11 
			 Hillingdon 16 29 38 38 17 
			 Hounslow 8 12 18 64 21 
			 Isle of Wight 9 17 8 4 4 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Islington 10 18 25 20 7 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 8 16 7 5 1 
			 Kent 15 37 38 42 20 
			 Kingston upon Hull 14 11 8 0 5 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 3 6 5 14 4 
			 Kirklees 3 6 3 2 5 
			 Knowsley 0 0 16 9 3 
			 Lambeth 5 9 10 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 46 30 34 14 
			 Leeds 4 35 44 37 5 
			 Leicester City 2 4 5 8 3 
			 Leicestershire 2 10 14 11 4 
			 Lewisham 9 14 10 9 5 
			 Lincolnshire 8 17 17 13 8 
			 Liverpool 22 94 89 97 36 
			 Luton 0 2 3 12 8 
			 Manchester 6 14 10 19 20 
			 Medway 0 4 3 11 3 
			 Merton 2 9 8 11 5 
			 Middlesbrough 9 21 25 20 10 
			 Milton Keynes 6 18 10 11 2 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 15 41 36 32 8 
			 Newham 0 30 14 10 4 
			 Norfolk 0 2 15 7 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 5 8 7 4 2 
			 North Lincolnshire 9 48 29 15 15 
			 North Somerset 9 12 18 9 2 
			 North Tyneside 5 15 5 5 0 
			 North Yorkshire 8 8 26 18 5 
			 Northamptonshire 8 5 8 6 9 
			 Northumberland 9 17 24 18 10 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 17 14 17 12 
			 Oldham 4 8 9 7 5 
			 Oxfordshire 21 16 10 6 3 
			 Peterborough 1 5 5 0 0 
			 Plymouth 3 6 3 0 3 
			 Poole 1 6 9 4 0 
			 Portsmouth 1 2 2 2 1 
			 Reading 3 6 6 11 5 
			 Redbridge 3 7 6 3- 3 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5 6 8 9 8 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 4 8 6 7 2 
			 Rochdale 0 10 9 7 2 
			 Rotherham 12 18 30 23 14 
			 Rutland 0 1 2 4 2 
			 Salford 0 11 10 7 5 
			 Sandwell 21 78 46 71 27 
			 Sefton 10 66 46 66 30 
			 Sheffield 10 10 10 0 0 
			 Shropshire 4 18 21 18 12 
			 Slough 8 9 6 3 0 
			 Solihull 5 0 26 23 6 
			 Somerset 6 7 8 5 3 
			 South Gloucestershire 5 5 7 7 10 
			 South Tyneside 0 7 8 6 0 
			 Southampton 2 8 20 3 7 
			 Southend 3 3 5 2 0 
			 Southwark 0 0 2 17 11 
			 St Helens 18 10 9 10 5 
			 Staffordshire 27 55 27 32 22 
			 Stockport 10 30 26 20 20 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2 5 5 6 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 6 8 5 33 0 
			 Suffolk 13 9 15 14 7 
			 Sunderland 5 10 17 19 14 
			 Surrey 9 19 18 14 9 
			 Sutton 6 9 15 17 2 
			 Swindon 4 1 8 10 7 
			 Tameside 2 7 9 24 0 
			 The Wrekin 6 23 20 32 11 
			 Thurrock 5 10 10 3 29 
			 Torbay 4 4 4 4 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 3 12 38 43 30 
			 Trafford 6 5 0 0 0 
			 Wakefield 3 10 6 8 4 
			 Walsall — 11 12 6 5 
			 Waltham Forest 3 12 12 11 6 
			 Wandsworth 6 7 3 6 2 
			 Warrington 10 19 20 12 3 
			 Warwickshire 0 4 4 4 3 
			 West Berkshire 4 9 8 6 3 
			 West Sussex 1 1 2 2 7 
			 Wigan :2 4 6 12 16 
			 Wiltshire 5 3 2 4 4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 4 10 10 5 0 
			 Wirral 4 13 16 15 7 
			 Wokingham 0 2 1 a 0 
			 Wolverhampton 6 12 11 11 6 
			 York 4 47 22 25 23

Youth in Action Programme

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which projects in the UK are funded under the Youth in Action programme of the European Union.

Beverley Hughes: The list shows those organisations so far approved in 2008 to receive funding from the UK National Agency under the European Union's Youth in Action programme by action type. An organisation appears in the list more than once where it has been approved for funding for more than one project.
	Records are not held by the UK for projects under this programme that are funded directly from the European Commission. These projects are therefore excluded from the list.
	 Action 1, Youth for Europe
	 Applicant :
	Theatr Fforwm Cymru
	Clubs for young people Wales
	Point Europa
	Portland Area Youth
	The Mendip Centre
	Devon and Cornwall Housing
	KPC YOUTH
	St. Comgalls Parish Youth Centre
	Portadown YMCA
	NEELB YOUTH SERVICE
	Birches Community Association
	Patrician Youth Centre
	Brownlow Area Youth Project
	Brownlow Area Youth Project
	East Belfast Area Youth Project
	Reach Across
	Reach Across
	Reach Across
	Reepham International Community Group
	Impact Youth Group
	Stockport Youth Service: the Duke of Edinburgh Award—Gold exploration group
	CSV Training and Enterprise North
	Leeds college of music
	Go Away and Learn GOAL
	Percy Hedley Foundation
	East Durham Youth in Action
	Evenwood and AYCC joint youth project
	Grey Lodge Settlement
	South Lanarkshire Council, Youth Learning Services
	Motherwell
	Motherwell
	Scripture Union England and Wales
	Littlehampton Rangers
	Groundwork North Northants
	Leicester Stars Football Club
	St. Matthews Community Solution Centre
	Norfolk county council
	South London Somali Society
	Albert and Friends Instant Circus
	Theatre Royal Stratford East
	National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS)
	Lido Youth and Culture Association
	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC Youth Forum)
	MeWe Art and Education
	Middlesbrough Youth Service
	4(th) Lymm Scout Group
	Neelb Youth Service
	Patrician Youth Centre
	Spirit of Enniskillen Trust
	Corpus Christi Youth Centre
	Spirit of Enniskillen Trust
	Inside Out
	Lewis and Harris Youth Clubs Association
	Perth and District YMCA
	Loch Lomond Pilgrimage Centre
	Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG)
	CHAI—Community Help and Advice Initiative
	St. Ninian's Church Youth Challenge
	Bathgate PHAB Club
	Grey Lodge Settlement
	Scottish Youth Dance
	Tullochan Trust
	CHAI—Community Help and Advice Initiative
	The Southside Project
	Bishops Green Youth Project
	Robert Elkins for Oxfordshire County Council Youth Service
	Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDCB)
	Callington and District Twinning Association—CADTA
	Bristol City Council
	Wiltshire County Council Youth Development Service
	Devon Federation of Young Farmers Club
	Devon and Cornwall Housing Association
	1(st) Wellington Scout Group
	Cheddar Baptist Church Youth Group
	Pen-y-sarn Youth Club
	Wrexham Borough Council
	BISYOC
	Pit Stop 2000
	Now or Never Generation
	The Urban Art Project
	Vertigo theatre drama group
	Minority of Europe
	Next Generation
	Carmarthen Post 16
	Hackney Remixed
	Matt Roberts Arts Group
	Lewisham Young Mayors
	Youth promoters Leeds (Everything is possible)
	 Action 2, European Voluntary Service
	A Rocha
	Belfast Community Circus School
	Bryson House—Ulster Wildlife Trust
	Bryson House—RNIB Northern Ireland
	Café Project
	Concordia
	CSV 2008 R1
	CVNI
	Depaul Trust
	Depaul Trust Northern Ireland
	Ecoseeds
	Edinburgh Cyrenians
	EIL Tools for Self Reliance
	EIL Upton Warren
	EIL First Key
	EIL YMCA Winchester
	EIL Malvern Hills
	EIL YMCA Fairthorne
	The Forest
	ICP Cardigan Bay
	ICP Sea Trust
	ICP Meeting of Minds
	ICYE Cambridge Cyrenians
	ICYE Delos
	Leonard Cheshire Seven Rivers
	Options for Life
	Point Europa
	Public Achievement
	StudentForce
	SWYM
	UNA
	West London YMCA
	UCAN2
	Edinburgh University Settlement
	ICYE
	ICYE
	Action Reconciliation Service for Peace
	Bath YMCA
	British Red Cross
	Bryson Charitable Group—HI Nl
	Bryson Charitable Group—Queen's Uni
	Bryson Charitable Group—UWT
	CSV
	EIL—First Key
	EIL—Romford YMCA
	EIL—Slimbridge Wildfowl
	EIL—Worcester YMCA
	Everything's Possible—Arts
	Everything's Possible—Youth
	Grey Lodge Settlement
	ICYE—Cambridge Cyrenians
	ICYE—Delos
	ICYE—Treloar Trust
	MYDG
	National Trust
	Options for Life
	Pestalozzi
	Point Europa
	Southwell House
	Student Force
	Time for God
	Tools for Solidarity
	UNA Exchange
	British Red Cross
	Bryson Charitable Group
	UNA Exchange
	Depaul Trust
	Everything's Possible
	 Action 3.1, Youth in the World
	Bridges Project
	Play-a Part
	South Gloucestershire Council Youth Service
	Minorities of Europe
	Northumberland Inter-Cultural Experience Group
	Charnwood Racial Equality Council
	Minorities of Europe
	Minorities of Europe
	Youthaction, Northern Ireland
	Enterprising Newcastle
	Clue Academy
	Cambridge House
	Minorities of Europe
	Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs, WAYC
	Axis Educational Trust
	Tides Training and consultancy
	International School for Peace Studies
	 Action 4.3, Youth Support
	International Network for Culture and Arts
	Everything's Possible
	Inside Out Project
	Inside Out Project
	Network4YOUth England
	Canllaw Online Cyf
	Community Education Services
	Chester Lions Club
	Point Europa
	North Eastern Education and Library Board
	Brouhaha International
	Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster
	Centre for Outdoor Education, Trinity College Carmarthen
	Inside Out Project
	Sherbourne Douzelage
	ICP Partneriaeth
	Point Europa
	Apsley Paper Trail
	 Action 5.1, Youth Policy Co-operation
	European Badminton Youth Network